IE3 electric motor efficiency regulations: What’s next?

5 January 2015 by Carl Brennand

So it’s finally here. For the past 12 months the latest stage of the EU MEPS electric motor efficiency legislation has been a hot topic in the industry, and on 1 January 2015 the new regulations came into effect. As of New Year’s Day, all 7.5 – 375 kW electric motors entering the market must now be rated at IE3, or IE2 if coupled with a variable-speed drive.

If your stock of electric motors are fully compliant then you can forget about EU MEPS for the time being. But what’s the next stage in this energy-efficiency directive?

In less than two years, all electric motors rated from 0.75 to 375 kW sold in the EU must achieve IE3 efficiency (or IE2 if connected to a variable-speed drive). So while the legislation will fundamentally remain the same, from 1 January 2017 the range of qualifying motors will be expanded to include smaller machines.

We’ll be looking ahead to the next phase of EU MEPS as the deadline approaches, so keep reading our blogs to stay bang up to date with all the latest news. In the meantime, why not browse our range of efficient, reliable ABB motors?